Issue - meetings

Surrey County Council has been working together with partners across the county and in Elmbridge to transform the system of early help that supports children, young people and families who are in need. We need to do this to both improve outcomes for local families and also address more effectively a number of the demand pressures we are facing across the public sector in Surrey.

This report provides local Members with an update on the new model that Surrey County Council and partners have been developing for early help for the county overall and how this is progressing locally in Elmbridge.

That the Local Committee [Elmbridge] agreed:

(i)    To support the latest early help developments in Elmbridge, including proposed early help priorities for re-commissioning and the location of Local Family Partnerships;

(ii)   That Cllrs Mrs Mary Sheldon and Dr Peter Szanto be appointed to sit on the Elmbridge Early Help Advisory Board, to provide member input into local discussions and a link back to the committee for the remainder of 2017/18 and 2018/19.

Reasons: We want Local Members to be informed about the proposals that we have been developing in partnership for the early help system in Surrey. We believe these proposals will help us realise better outcomes for children and young people within the early help resources we have available. We also know however that early help is most effective when it is planned and delivered locally, so we are seeking the advice of the Local Committee to inform our identified local priorities.

Declarations of interest: None

Officers attending: Chris Beck, Elmbridge Families Service Manager

Petitions, Public Questions/Statements: None

Member Discussion – key points

The Families Service Manager reported that paragraph 10.3 of the report should be deleted as the planned consultation has been delayed until the summer to ensure an integrated approach.

He reported that the Early Help Advisory Board has made a good start  and that local family partnerships have been established based on existing networks.

A member asked why there were no financial implications identified in the report when the service budget has been cut.  It was acknowledged that reductions in budget have been made but they have no direct implications for the work outlined in the report.

It was noted that this work had arisen from an Ofsted inspection which highlighted the need for better co-ordination of early help activity.  Ofsted have visited again recently and noticed the positive changes put in place.

Key to the success of this approach is for communities, particularly those in high need, to be invested in the change and to work together.  Councillors could contribute by promoting the approach to ensure that it is not something seen as being imposed and helping to ensure that all key players are aware and involved.

Resolved:

(i)    To support the latest early help developments in Elmbridge, including proposed early help priorities for re-commissioning and the location of Local Family Partnerships;

(ii)   That Cllrs Mrs Mary Sheldon and Dr Peter Szanto be appointed to sit on the Elmbridge Early Help Advisory Board, to provide member input into local discussions and a link back to the committee for the remainder of 2017/18 and 2018/19.

Reasons: We want Local Members to be informed about the proposals that we have been developing in partnership for the early help system in Surrey. We believe these proposals will help us realise better outcomes for children and young people within the early help resources we have available. We also know however that early help is most effective when it is planned and delivered locally, so we are seeking the advice of the Local Committee to inform our identified local priorities.